Broner: I Don't Get Enough Respect; I'm the One Kids Wanna Be Now
By Keith Idec
Adrien Broner mostly has been commended for his decision to fight Mike Garcia next.
Garcia has to move up in weight, from 135 pounds to 140, to make it happen. A textbook technician with power, Garcia still is a dangerous opponent for Broner (33-2, 24 KOs), who seems better suited to fight at junior welterweight (140 pounds) than welterweight (147).
The praise for accepting Garcia aside, Broner believes he doesn’t get enough credit for going up against Adrian Granados in his last fight.
Broner beat Granados (18-5-2, 12 KOs), a formidable former sparring partner, by split decision in a tough, 10-round welterweight fight February 18 in Cincinnati. The 27-year-old Broner boxed the rugged Granados just two fights after Granados stopped previously unbeaten 140-pound contender Amir Imam (20-1, 17 KOs) in the eighth round in November 2015.
“With all due respect to every reporter out there,” Broner said during a recent conference call, “I just feel I don’t get as much respect as I should because my last fight, the guy that I fought, he was a guy that a lot of people skipped past. And I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna fight him because everybody feels like I’m not taking tough fights.’ So I knew he was tough, and I fought him and I beat him. And now I’m taking another tough fight.”
The Cincinnati native, one of the most polarizing people in boxing, doesn’t think people should be surprised he agreed to fight the hard-hitting Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs). Before boxing Granados, the previous 3½ years for Broner included facing former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter, ex-WBA super lightweight champ Khabib Allakhverdiev, Argentine knockout artist Marcos Maidana, and moving up two divisions, from lightweight to welterweight, to oppose Paulie Malignaggi.
The former four-division champion doesn’t sense that he is appreciated enough overall by boxing reporters and fans, particularly for what he has accomplished during the past four years.
“I just feel like they don’t put enough respect on my name,” Broner said. “All of the accomplishments I’ve accomplished in this game – I’m the one the kids wanna be now. Because coming up, everybody wanted to be like Floyd that’s my age. Now, coming up all the kids wanna be like Adrien Broner. So it’s OK, though. This fight is just to show people I’m still here and I’ve still got what it takes to take over the game of boxing after Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao [retire].”
The embattled Broner, who has had numerous brushes with the law, recognizes that he’ll take criticism for making such statements. His detractors don’t faze him, though.
“I love it. I love it,” Broner said. “I’ve faced adversity so many times in this game. Sometimes I fell short, but I got right back up and I kept fighting.”
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Broner: I Don't Get Enough Respect; I'm the One Kids Wanna Be Now - Boxing News